Coffee house is 'grounded in grace'

JONESVILLE — Serving the needs of the community — as well as providing a place to gather for coffee and good conversation — is a mission of the Jonesville First Presbyterian Church.

Their mission, in what is known as “the little white church on the corner” at 360 E. Chicago, is next door to the First Presbyterian Church, housing a gathering place called Grounded in Grace.

The coffee house is a long-time dream of the building’s owners, Renee Sawdey and Michelle Masta. Their husbands, Tom Sawdey and Dave Masta are credited for doing much of the initial cleaning and painting of walls, doors and windows.

The ladies, also Presbyterian elders, along with numerous volunteers and interim pastor the Rev. Cathy Johnson, opened the shop June 3.

“We wanted to keep the little church, formerly Grace Episcopal Church, part of Hillsdale County history,” Sawdey said. “We (owners) grew up in that church.”

The church, now known simply as Grace, was built in 1849 and was added to the National Register in 1971.

Pastor Johnson said the idea was “to see where the (Presbyterian) church has been and where it is going in terms of outreach.

“We reviewed the outreach of the church and a discernment committee researched where it is going - we found outreach is still important to the congregation in serving the needs of the community,” Johnson said. “It’s faith-based - we want it to be financially sustainable, but it’s more about stepping out on faith.”

Sawdey and Masta have owned the building since 2007 and since that time, there have been weddings, funerals, visitations and more held there. The church rents the coffee house space in the fellowship hall, which is also available for others to rent.

The owners purchased the building when it was discovered the Episcopal Church owned land that went into the Presbyterian parlor.

“Through the years, there has always been a handshake agreement (that the buildings remain status quo),” Sawdey said. “But when the diocese decided to deconsecrate the (Episcopal) church, we thought we’d better do something or we’d have some pretty close neighbors.”

The owners gifted the property’s 10 feet to the Presbyterian Church and began thinking about what they were going to do with the building. Ideas were brought up, but the timing was never right, Sawdey said.

“All the pieces have come together and the building wouldn’t be here today without the support of the Presbyterian Church,” Sawdey said.

Johnson said the church has an active session and members that want to meet the needs of the community - to have some form of mission. A member’s idea was to have a place of hospitality, where people could feel comfortable sharing needs.

“Some folks may feel more comfortable hearing about other’s needs outside of a church setting,” Johnson said. “Each month a portion of the proceeds will go to an organization we designate, beginning with the Hope House in Jonesville. We’ll keep it within the county and some months it could go to the youth in the church, for instance.”

Since a Keurig coffee machine is used, the group alleviated the need for involvement from the Health Department and encourages patrons to bring their own mugs (and take them back home) for a “greener” environment. Otherwise, the drinks, including tea and lemonade, are served in Styrofoam for a suggested donation of $1 for small servings and $1.50 for large.

In the fall, workers hope to hold special events with the coffee house to benefit certain causes.

“It’s an opportunity for the community to come together,” Johnson said.

Volunteer John Ciaravino, part of the executive committee overseeing the project, noted the mission’s vision wasn’t his alone.

“My job is to interpret other people’s vision and help them put it into action,” Ciaravino said. “It ties back to the integral belief of serving the needy.”

The roots for the idea initially started back in 2009 with Gary Oliver, then with the Rev. Emily Miller and now with pastor Cathy, he explained.

Pastor Cathy revisited what had been done and built on that, Ciaravino said, noting they provided the continuity.

One of the group’s goals is to be self sustainable. Two grants, one from the Presbytery and another from the Hillsdale County Community Foundation, have helped to launch the coffee house.

“Michelle and I kept praying that God would help us decide what’s next,” Sawdey said. “We would sit on the front pew and ask for guidance.”